Aisling Sturbridge
Lady Aisling Sturbridge is the signature character of the Tremere clan. She is the High Regent of the Chantry of the Five Boroughs in New York. Biography Aisling was born in 1890 in upstate New York to a banker and his wife. Her mother died when Aisling was two, and her father chose to let his daughter run wild like a hoyden with her brothers rather than endure his wife's meddling relations' attempts to raise her. During this long period of freedom, Aisling gravitated toward mysticism through her Catholic upbringing and studied whatever she believed would be necessary to learn more. She taught herself Latin and Greek to read occult texts from the church library (she persuaded her elder brother to borrow books for her). Aside from reading, she attended seances and corresponded with a number of occultists, many of whom had little idea that they were communicating with a teenage girl. When her mother's family finally got wind that Aisling was accepting an invitation into an "Enlightened Society" or some such, they put their collective foot down and ordered her to finish school. Aisling instead took her trust fund and abandoned Victorian America for the decadence of London. In turn-of-the-century London, Aisling inserted herself into the occult scene, and her remarkable scholarship drew many eyes, including those of Aleister Crowley. Her brilliance did not go unnoticed by others; her sire-to-be, Lucien de Maupassant, met her during a séance salon, and the two became close confidants. In 1910, Crowley, apparently embittered that a girl so many years his junior was outstripping him in the hermetic mysteries, requested that Aisling become his next . In essence, it was a demand that she submit to rape. Lucien, already considering Aisling as a potential progeny, took her away from London and Crowley's grasp, and on an extended tour of Europe and the Middle East to secretly test her fitness as a Tremere. When he was satisfied he brought her to Vienna for the Embrace and to meet the rest of the Clan. For the next 30 years or so the pair served as free agents, delivering messages between chantries, building chantry libraries and investigating on Inner Council orders. World War II separated them for long periods as Aisling tended the chantries in Nuremberg, Warsaw, Kraków, and Dresden. Her friends in high places often could not decide what to do with her; on one hand, her questioning of the Tremere's role with the Nazi regime was intolerable to her superiors, but on the other, her work during air raids to preserve the treasures of embattled chantries was faultless. In 1948 her sire and longtime companion abruptly went missing during an assignment, supposedly given to him by the Inner Council. According to upper-level gossips, it was Meerlinda who turned the young woman's talents to America, with hopes that it might distract her. Certain that she would have felt or heard of Lucien's destruction, she continues to search for word of him even now. Recently, some of the higher ranks have begun to watch her with growing concern. She is one of the most dynamic and popular regents, and she has a number of high-placed friends in and out of the clan. She has shown no qualms about making deals with other Kindred for assistance, eschewing much of the traditional Tremere insularity. Reviewing all of this success in a darker cast, however, are several of the powers that be among the higher ranks of the Tremere. In the opinions of several of the old guard, Aisling is a loose cannon, as evidenced by her own desires not to be Prince. One thing is certain in the nights to come: Aisling's loyalty will indeed be tested. Whether from within the Chantry of the Five Boroughs or as a result of an outsider's influence, the Tremere may well have to make an example of one who insists upon going her own way. Character Sheet ; |clan = Tremere |sire = Lucien de Maupassant |nature = Deviant |demeanor = Traditionalist |generation = 10th |embrace = 1911 CE |apparent age = Mid-20s |physical = Strength 2, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4 |social = Charisma 4, Manipulation 3, Appearance 3 |mental = Perception 4, Intelligence 5, Wits 3 |talents = Alertness 4, Athletics 3, Dodge 5, Empathy 2, Intimidation 2, Leadership 3, Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 4 |skills = Disguise 3, Drive 1, Etiquette 3, Firearms 3, Melee 2, Security 1, Stealth 3, Survival 1 |knowledges = Academics 4, Bureaucracy 2, Camarilla Lore 3, Clan Knowledge (Tremere) 3, Computer 1, History 3, Investigation 4, Law 1, Linguistics 5 (Arabic, Cantonese, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin, Portuguese, Romany, Sanskrit, Spanish, Yiddish), Occult 5, Politics 2, Sabbat Lore 3, Science 2 |disciplines = Auspex 5, Celerity 2, Dominate 3, Fortitude 2, Obfuscate 2, Thaumaturgy 5 |thaumaturgical paths = Movement of the Mind 5, Path of Blood 5, Lure of Flames 4, Elemental Mastery 3, Technomancy 3, Thaumaturgical Countermagic 2, Spirit Manipulation 2 |backgrounds = Allies 4, Clan Prestige 2, Contacts 2, Influence 3, Mentor 5, Resources 4, Status 2 |virtues = Conscience 3, Self-Control 4, Courage 4 |morality = Humanity 7 |willpower = 9 |merits/flaws = Natural Linguist, Time Sense, Unbarred Passage (doors/gateways automatically open at her touch) }} Gallery Aisling_John_Van.jpg| From the cover of Clanbook: Tremere Revised. Art by John Van Fleet Aisling Sturbridge.jpg|From Children of the Night. Art by Christopher Shy Aisling NYbN.jpg|From New York by Night Aisling 1.png|From Widow's Walk. Art by John Van Fleet Aisling 2.png|From Widow's Weeds. Art by John Van Fleet Aisling 3.png|From Widow's Might. Art by John Van Fleet Aisling in Coteries of New York.jpg|Aisling in Coteries of New-York References * * * * * * * Category:Tremere Category:Tenth Generation vampires Category:Vampire: The Masquerade character Category:Signature characters (WOD)